


The Color White, Pie and Having No Sense of Direction

by Cloud_Nine



Series: Colors or How Bilbo Collects the Company Before the Quest to Retake Erebor [6]
Category: The Hobbit - All Media Types
Genre: Bilbo find more dwarflings, Gen, Nori is a Little Shit, it's cherry, there's pie, uh Bilbo hits someone with a skillet
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-12-11
Updated: 2016-12-11
Packaged: 2018-09-07 20:13:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,268
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8814682
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cloud_Nine/pseuds/Cloud_Nine
Summary: This scene was rather familiar, two dwarflings playing in his back garden, but something was … wrong with the scene.  Bilbo groaned and rubbed at his eyes with his free hand. He had been baking all morning having a new pie recipe to try and after putting one of two of his newest baked good on the window sill to cool he had dished up two plates one for the young dwarf he was babysitting and one for himself. The real shock this time was the very obvious fact that out of the two dwarflings, neither one was Ori.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Chapter 1 of 2 and then one more installment and this series is finished. I can't believe it. Please enjoy Bilbo meeting the direct Line of Durin. I hope you like it because this one really had a mind of it's own. This is nothing like I planned it out to be.

This scene was rather familiar, two dwarflings playing in his back garden, but something was … wrong with the scene. Bilbo groaned and rubbed at his eyes with his free hand. He had been baking all morning having a new pie recipe to try and after putting one of two of his newest baked good on the window sill to cool he had dished up two plates one for the young dwarf he was babysitting and one for himself. 

 

Plates in hand he had exited Bag Eng and expected to see Ori playing quietly, like always. He really shouldn’t be too surprised. Ever since his strange gift led him to Ori, Dori and Nori's life had not been the same for the young master of Bag End. 

 

What had been an incredibly lonely life had exploded into a life of one thousand little adventures. Nori was constantly causing mischief, nothing extreme but just enough to ruffle the feathers of the most stuffy hobbits. Bilbo was never sure how Nori convinced Dori to stay but he was incredibly glad that he did because Dori had become one of Bilbo’s dearest friends. They shared a love of tea and often spend hours in Bilbo’s study just enjoying polite conversation. Dori was rather hobbit-like in that way. 

 

Even young Ori, or rather especially young Ori, added to the chaos of Bilbo’s life. The youngster was smart and much like Nori had a knack for attracting all kinds of trouble. That’s why when he once again found one too many dwarflings in his garden Bilbo wasn’t overly surprised. The real shock this time was the very obvious fact that out of the two dwarflings, neither one was Ori. 

 

“Excuse me,” Bilbo called getting the attention of the two dwarflings playing in the dirt. 

 

Two heads one light and the other dark whipped around to face him almost in unison. 

 

“Er, hello,” Bilbo said awkwardly. One would think he would be used to this by now. 

 

The not-Ori dwarflings blinked at Bilbo in confusion, Bilbo narrowed his eyes as he stared at the pair. 

 

“Did you eat my pie?” Bilbo asked suddenly having noticed several suspicious looking smears that resembled the cherry pie filling. 

 

“Uh oh,” the blond dwarfling said. Before Bilbo could react the blond dwarfling had snatched the other’s hand and they ran from the garden as quickly as their short legs would carry them. 

 

Bilbo swore, he couldn’t leave two dwarflings to wander the Hobbiton alone especially if they had a habit of snatching food, several of his neighbors would have something rather loud to say about that. Remembering the two plates in his hands Bilbo ducked into Bag End and set them on the closest table before running after the two dwarflings. 

 

Having experience with dwarrow, especially young ones, meant that even though the hobbit had lost sight on the youngsters finding them wasn’t difficult. Dwarrow were mountain dwelling folks and they very much enjoyed enclosed spaces. Keeping that in mind Bilbo knew exactly where to look. 

 

Down the road, a little off of the walking path Bilbo knew there existed an outcropping of rocks that Ori liked to hide in. Bilbo jogged the way there his mind on the two new dwarflings that had entered his life. His mind also wandered worriedly to young Ori, who was supposed to be in his back garden. Still, Ori was smart, and he knew his way around the Hobbiton. All of Bilbo’s neighbors knew the little one and Dori and Nori’s smial wasn’t far off. Perhaps the youngster had decided to pop home for a toy without letting Bilbo know?

 

Bilbo had to pause, three dwarflings. One missing and two ‘hiding’. First thing first. “You two come out here right now!” Bilbo called trying very hard to mimic the tone his mother had often used to corral a mischievous fauntling who loved staying out late to hunt for elves in the woods. 

 

Just as he had hoped the tone worked. Moving swifter than Bilbo expected he had two sorry looking dwarflings standing in front of him. The blond, who appeared older had a tight grip on the younger, ducked his head the picture of a scolded youngster. Bilbo wasn’t fooled. 

 

Still channeling his mother Bilbo reached out and carefully grasped a hold of an ear from each dwarfling. The whining began immediately, but Bilbo was immune. Years of listening to his own cousin’s children and then little Ori (and Nori, sometimes) whine when they got in trouble allowed him to tune it out. 

 

“Alight then, back to Bag End!” Bilbo said carefully marching the dwarflings back to his smial. 

 

Once safely tucked back into the garden Bilbo sat the two youngsters onto his garden bench and looked them over. Both young, older than Ori, maybe, and definitely older than the first not-Ori dwarfling Bilbo had found in his garden Gimli. 

 

The light haired one was older, not by much, and had a few braids weaved into his hair. Bilbo could also see a light dusting of peach fuzz on the dwarfling’s cheeks. The dark haired one’s hair looked as if a bird had made it’s home there, but it held no braids. Using his special gift Bilbo could see the children were brothers and, of course like almost every other dwarf he had come into contact Bilbo could see a hint of green. 

 

“Well, do the pair of you have anything to say?” Bilbo said crossing his arms. The little rascals had eaten his pie, there was fruit filling smears all over their hands, face, and clothing. 

 

“We’re sorry,” the chimed together. Bilbo got the impression these two said it an awful lot. 

 

Bilbo gave them one more stern look to which they replied with watery doe eyes. Bilbo rolled his own eyes and sighed. “I would have given you some, had you just asked,” he told them sternly. “It isn’t nice to steal.” 

 

The dwarflings ducked their heads again, still maintaining a very sorrowful visage. 

 

“Now then, to whom do you belong?” Bilbo asked. “There are dwarrow in the Shire but I am well acquainted with all three of them and you too are not them. I am Bilbo Baggins, by the way.” 

 

The youngster perked up immediately and stood. “I’m Fili!” The little blond declared. 

 

“An’ I’m Kili!” The one with a bird’s nest for hair added. 

 

“At your service!” They chimed together and bowed low in unison. 

 

“Well, it is very nice to meet you both,” Bilbo said with a smile. 

 

“We’re here with our Uncle!” Fili said. 

 

“He’s waitin’ on our mama,” Kili added. 

 

“Your uncle,” Bilbo said thinking back. Had Nori or Dori mentioned another group of dwarrow coming to the Shire? 

 

“Are you traveling with a caravan?” Bilbo asked, unable to think of any that were supposed to come through the Shire, let alone the Hobbiton. 

 

“Nope, just us,” Fili said hopping back onto Bilbo’s garden bench. “Mama has been selling the jewelry she makes in the city of men and Uncle Thorin was tired of us asking when she would be home so he brought us here to wait for her!” 

 

“City of men? Do you mean Bree-land?” Bilbo asked curiously. 

 

“Uh huh,” Kili answered. “You don’t look like a man, though. I thought you were supposed to be taller.” 

 

“I am not a man,” Bilbo said amused. “You will not find men here, dwarfling, this is the Shire and I am a hobbit.” 

 

Fili and Kili looked at Bilbo in horror and then turned to each other. “Uh, oh,” they said together. 

 

\--

 

“Do you have any idea who these two brats belong to?” Nori asked gleefully. 

 

“I already told you, Nori, I don’t,” Bilbo said with a sigh. The hobbit after learning just how the dwarflings had been separated from their uncle. It involved a pony, two disgruntled farmer hobbits and a game of runway-before-they-catch-you. 

 

Without their uncle, the dwarflings had wandered around until they smelled Bilbo’s pie, which they promptly stole and ate which led them to their current situation. 

 

“Thorin, Thorin Oakenshield, himself! Rightful King Under the Bloody Mountain!” Nori said laughing. “I had heard stories, mind your, from the King’s Hound about his highness’s lack of direction, but to lose his nephews! To get lost in the Shire? Ha!” 

 

“It’s not funny, Nori, I’m sure he’s worried about the lads,” Bilbo said giving his friend a disapproving look. 

 

“Oh I’m sure,” Nori agreed. “If only because the princess will kill him when she finds out he lost her spawn.” 

 

“The princess?” Bilbo asked curiously. He paused his drafting a message to Thain to direct any lost dwarrow to Bag End, not that they didn’t already. 

 

“Princess Dis,” Nori said, a sadistic smile crawling across his face. “Everyone loves her, if she decided to fight her brother for the throne, the entire mountain would follow her to gates of Khazad-dûm.” 

 

“And the dwarrow don’t feel the same about this Thorin?” Bilbo asked. The lads had seemed very fond of their uncle and from what Bilbo could remember about Dwalin, the guardsman they had entertained a while back, the man had seen nice enough and very loyal to this King. 

 

“Oh it’s not like that,” Nori said drumming his fingers on Bilbo’s desk. “Everyone likes Thorin well enough, he’s a good King, he’s done a lot for Durin’s folk since we settled in Ered Luin and before on the road. But everyone knows Dis is the brains behind the Line of Durin.” 

 

“I see,” Bilbo said coming to something of an understanding. 

 

“The important part is keeping hold of those youngsters until Thorin can be found,” Nori said. “They are his heirs after all.” 

 

“Oh, they are princes,” Bilbo said growing worried for the first time since he found the two dwarflings in his back garden. 

 

“Yep,” Nori said. “I reckon, Thorin only brought them along because he didn’t trust anyone not to kill them if he left them alone in the Mountain.” 

 

“Kill them?” Bilbo asked horrified.

 

“Yes, kill them,” Nori explained. “They are his heirs, Bilbo. Next in line for the throne? Anyone wanting to remove Thorin and his kin from the throne would kill those boys.” 

 

“But they won’t, they wouldn’t try anything here, would they?” Bilbo asked worriedly. 

 

Nori shrugged. “Not many dwarrow come to the Shire, and I would bet even fewer know the lads are here,” Nori said. “They are probably safer here, right now, then in the mountain.” 

 

“Oh dear…” 

 

\--

 

The day slowly melted away. The pie that was left was quickly devoured for tea, Ori, who Dori had taken that afternoon to be refitted for clothing (Dori shouted to Bilbo before taking the lad but Bilbo hadn’t heard), was back and had enjoyed two new playmates. Dori was like Bilbo fretting over the young princes, for different reasons. And Nori was off looking for the wayward adult Dwarf who the lads belonged too. 

 

“I still can’t believe this Thorin character mistook the Shire for Bree,” Bilbo said sipping his tea. The three dwarflings were playing with some carved toys Bofur had made for Ori, a few feet away. 

 

“Thorin has a rather hard time with directions above ground,” Dori said. “It’s regretful but not uncommon in us dwarfs. Some of us just don’t do well without a mountain above our head.” 

 

“You three seem to be just fine,” Bilbo pointed out. 

 

“Oh yes, I’m not as good as Nori, he was born on the road you see, under the open sky,” Dori explained. “Ori, too I think, I wasn’t there for his birth, but that is just how it is.”

 

Bilbo nodded. “I- Did you hear the door to the back garden open?”

 

Dori paused and listened carefully. “No? Who would be coming in the through the back garden?” 

 

Bilbo frowned, “No one.” 

 

Dori shrugged and took another sip of his tea. “Perhaps you forgot to latch it shut?” 

 

“Perhaps, Dori would you be a dear and watch the children? I’m doing to make sure the door hasn’t swung open,” Bilbo asked setting his cup down on the table. 

 

“Of course!” Dori said with a smile. 

 

Bilbo smiled happily at the dwarflings as he passed, they were playing a game of war or something similar. Not a game he would have played as a child, but to each their own, he supposed. 

 

The walk to the back door wasn’t a long one, Bag End was spacious but not over larger. The door was unlatched, as Dori said and Bilbo smiled. Just the wind then. The hobbit moved to latch the door when his keen ears heard softly spoken voices just beyond the door. Ice shot up Bilbo’s spine. Someone was in his back garden. 

 

Ever so carefully Bilbo pushed the door open just a hair and listened. 

 

“-move?” 

 

“We’re sure it’s them?” A voice asked. 

 

“I’m positive,” some whispered harshly. “It’s the two Durin brats, some dwarf and one of those Halflings.”

 

“And Thorin isn’t with them?” the first voice hissed. “I will not have my head chopped off by bloody Oakenshield. I won’t.” 

 

“The bastard’s off wandering somewhere,” a third voice said. “They can’t find him. It’s just the brats. We’ll never get a better chance.” 

 

Bilbo didn’t dare to breathe. With all the stealth and quiet he could manage Bilbo let the door shut and moved without making a sound back to the den where Dori was waiting. 

 

“Was it just- Bilbo? Are you alright?” Dori asked seeing Bilbo’s bloodless face. 

 

“There appears to be three individuals in the back garden who are after our young princely house guests,” Bilbo said throwing back the rest of his tea. Bilbo was oddly calm. Sure he was pale faced but his words were steady and so were his hands. 

 

“Sellswords,” Dori hissed, setting his cup down firmly. 

 

“So it appears,” Bilbo said in agreement. “What are we going to do about it?” 

 

Dori smiled ferally and Bilbo was reminded of just how far the dwarrow would go to protect his family. 

 

\-- 

 

The dwarflings were stashed away in one of Bilbo’s ‘secret hideaways’ the little room was a secret if you didn’t know it existed, but Bungo, Bilbo’s father had it built in as a special playroom for young fauntlings. As long as they were quiet no one would find them there. 

 

Bilbo and Dori were waiting for their guests to arrive. They had decided against leaving the smial, as they weren’t positive it was only three sellswords that surrounded Bag End and they didn’t want to risk being caught off guard to risk dragging Bilbo’s neighbors into something messy. Dori promised he could handle the three of them himself, something Bilbo knew the dwarf could do. After seeing someone lift a man-sized cart filled with wares over his head you believed them when they said they could take on three intruders. 

 

Bilbo nodded to Dori when he heard the back door open. Bilbo was armed with his heaviest skillet and Dori had nothing in his hands, but they were ready when the first dwarf crossed the threshold. Dori swung his arm out, stopping the dwarf with a forearm to the throat. The dwarf gasped and gagged for air falling to his knees. 

 

Bilbo watched his friend pick up the downed dwarf and toss him back into the dwarf coming behind him. The one Dori clothes-lined hit his fellow conspirator and they fell to the floor with a crash and a thud. 

 

Bilbo watched as Dori thoroughly trounced the two sellswords. Nori had spoken of Dori’s immense strength and Bilbo even seen it on occasion but seeing it like this was amazing. The hobbit’s friend could pick up both dwarrow and slam them together with ease. It was amazing. 

 

“Bilbo, look out!” Dori shouted. 

 

The hobbit whirled around pan at the ready. He had forgotten the third sellsword. Without thinking, Bilbo swung the man and thankfully caught the dwarf in the chin with the heavy skillet. The metal against skin and bone made a disgusting crunch but the dwarf shook it off easily and grabbed for the hobbit. 

 

Bilbo quickly took a step back and swung the heavy skillet again this time catching the dwarf’s hand. The sellsword gave a shout of pain and that emboldened the hobbit. “You come into my smial. After my guests!” He shouted swinging again, catching the dwarf in the elbow this time. 

 

The would-be assassin doubled over when Bilbo stabbed forward hitting him in the stomach. 

 

“I won’t have it!” Bilbo declared bringing the skillet in a downward arch. “Not in my house!” 

 

The skillet hit with a resounding thunk and Bilbo watched the dwarrow’s eyes roll up and the hulking body fall to the ground. “Not in my house.” 

 

Just as the dwarrow fell to the ground Bilbo heard the front door to Bag End open. “Dori! Bilbo? Where are you? I’ve just heard there-” 

 

Nori’s voice paused, when reached what Bilbo assumed was the doorway. The hobbit, still clutching his pan turned to face his friend. Behind Nori stood a dwarf that Bilbo really hoped was Fili and Kili’s uncle because he wasn’t up to fighting any more sellswords tonight. 

 

“Were sellswords about,” Nori finished unnecessarily. “It appears you have that well in hand.” 

 

“Did you expect anything different?” Dori said with a posh sniff. “Now since you two arrived late, would you mind taking out rubbish?”

 

“It would be my pleasure,” the new dwarf said in a rumbling voice. 

 

\--

 

Bilbo couldn’t stop staring at Thorin. It wasn’t because the dwarf was a king, a King in his smial Bilbo couldn’t believe it. It wasn’t because the three dwarflings were currently climbing him like a dwarf sized climbing toy, it was rather adorable if Bilbo did say so. It wasn’t even because the dwarf was so remarkably handsome, and boy was he handsome. It was instead because of the strange color that surrounded the dwarf. Bilbo had never encountered the strange hue that colored the dwarf in front of him. 

 

“He’s noticed, you know,” Nori whispered to his hobbit friend who was staring quite blatantly at the King Under the Mountain (currently without the proper mountain). 

 

“I’m trying to figure out his color!” Bilbo hissed back. 

 

“What do you mean?” Nori asked while Dori had drawn Thorin into a conversation about Dis and her arrival. 

 

“It is as if he is bathed in light, rather than a color,” Bilbo said in confusion. “The lads have the green that the rest of you lot have, but Thorin’s is different.”

 

“Oh?” 

 

“I’ve never seen anything like it,” Bilbo admitted. “And I have no clue what it means.” 

 

Nori just smirked and took a drink of the tea Dori had forced on his after they had set down. Nori and Thorin had dealt with the three sellswords that attempted to assassinate Thorin’s nephews and then joined Dori and Bilbo for a light (by hobbit standards) snack and tea before bed. 

 

“Well, I’ve more than enough excitement for one evening,” Dori said with a yawn. “Nori grab Ori and we’ll head home. Thorin, do you and the boys have a place to sleep for the night? You are always welcome to stay with us.” 

 

Before Thorin could speak Nori jumped up. “He’s staying with Bilbo,” the crafty dwarf said with a smirk. Nori plucked his sleepy little brother from Thorin’s shoulder and popped him on his hip. “Bilbo has the most room after all.” 

 

“I suppose that is true,” Dori said with a frown. “Is that alright with you Bilbo?” 

 

“Uh,” the hobbit stuttered. 

 

“I would be most appreciative if you would allow us lodging for the night, Master Baggins,” Thorin said in his deep rumbly voice. “The children are quite tired but I would not want to put you out.” 

 

“Oh no!” Bilbo said suddenly feeling rather flustered. “It’s no problem at all. Nori is correct I do have the most room.” 

 

Thorin bowed his head shallowly before coming up to meet the hobbit’s eyes. “My thanks, Master Baggins. I will forever be at your service.” 

 

“Right!” Bilbo said tightly. “Sheets, I’ll get sheets and then show you my bed- I mean my guest bedroom!” 

 

Bilbo fled the room like a frightened rabbit from a fox leaving Thorin staring confused at where his hobbit host disappeared and Nori laughing loudly. 

 

\--

 

“You can put the boys down here,” Bilbo said pushing the door open. The bed was more than big enough for two small dwarflings, as compact and stocky as they were. Thorin who held them both, one sleeping head snoring on each shoulder, entered the room Bilbo stood at the doorway watching the dwarf with tender care prepare his nephews for sleeping. 

 

“I do hope they did not cause much trouble,” Thorin said softly. At Bilbo curious look he laughed and shook his head. “They will not wake, I have never seen such a pair of heavy sleepers.” 

 

“My cousin is like that,” Bilbo said. “A herd of horses would gallop right through his bedroom but if he didn’t wish to wake up wouldn’t move a muscle.” 

 

“These two are the same,” Thorin said pulling the blanket up to cover them both. “Did they cause any problems?” 

 

“Oh no,” Bilbo said. “Aside from the shock of finding two dwarflings in my garden when I normally find one, and a missing pie,” Thorin groaned softly and Bilbo smiled. “Everything was fine, they were no trouble.” 

 

“I’m glad to hear it,” Thorin said. “My sister, their mother, is already going to kill me. No need to make it worse for letting her spawn cause mischief.” 

 

“Would you like another cup of tea before bed?” Bilbo asked. 

 

Thorin grimaced. “Not particularly, but,” he said quickly seeing the hobbit’s face fall. “I wouldn’t say no to a smoke if you have one.” 

 

Bilbo’s face lit up. “I have just the thing.” 

 

Smoking old toby on his garden bench under the stars with a handsome dwarf was not how Bilbo planned to end his when he woke up that morning. He expected to babysit Ori, make pie and then have dinner with his favorite dwarrow. Of course, Bilbo thought, he did technically do those things. 

 

He did watch Ori for a while and then he watched Fili and Kili, and he did make pie and finally at the end of the day, Bilbo had dinner with his favorite dwarrow. The Line of Durin quickly joining the ranks of the ‘Ri family.

 

“You handled yourself quite well, with the sellsword,” Thorin said blowing a ring of smoke into the darkness. 

 

“Thank you?” Bilbo said uncertainly. “I’d never done something like that before.” 

 

Thorin hummed in thought. 

 

“I wasn’t about to let him hurt the children, though,” Bilbo continued. 

 

“Nori suggested you have a habit of saving dwarrow,” Thorin said. “He mentioned you saved him upon your first meeting and he mentioned you finding a lost toymaker, and evening reuniting a lost dwarfling with his father.” 

 

“I, anyone would have…” Bilbo said growing flustered. 

 

“Anyone did not, you did,”Thorin pointed out staring out at the stars. 

 

“It was the right thing to do, in all of those cases,” Bilbo said firmly. He truly believed that. Even without his gift Bilbo believed, he would have done the same thing. 

 

“And I am merely expressing my thanks for those situations in which you gave aid,” Thorin explained. 

 

“Oh.” 

 

“You know,” Thorin said after a moment of silence. “Nori and Dori could return to the mountain if they wished.” 

 

“What? I thought they were running from someone?” Bilbo said confused. He had never managed to get the whole story out of Nori but he got enough. The brothers were fleeing enemies of Nori’s and it wasn’t safe to return to the mountains. 

 

“The dwarf Nori angered was killed in a rockslide,” Thorin explained. “It happened several months ago, I even sent word to let them know but Dori wrote back they were more than comfortable here among the hobbits but even more importantly they said they had family here they could not leave behind.” 

 

“Family?” Bilbo said softly.

 

“They were quite insistent,” Thorin told him. “Perhaps that is why I took a detour through the Hobbiton. I wanted to see you.” 

 

“Detour? But I thought you had gotten lost!” Bilbo said, not really catching what Thorin had said. 

 

The majestic king scowled. “I did actually get lost, but only once I got amongst your hills. I ended up near some great tree with my nephews nowhere to be seen.” 

 

“They thought the three of you had made it to Bree-land,” Bilbo said. 

 

“Yes, well, this was their first time out of the mountain.” 

 

Bilbo laughed softly. “You wanted to meet me?” He asked finally catching what the dwarf had said. 

 

“I wanted to know what drew in so many dwarrow, what made you so special,” Thorin said turning his head to look at the hobbit properly for the first time since they sat down. 

 

“And did you find what you were looking for?” Bilbo asked not sure what he wanted the answer to be. 

 

“I think so,” Thorin replied. “I found a loyal, quick-thinking hobbit. One who is kind to children and helps those that need it.” 

 

Bilbo licked his lips unsure of what to say in return. 

 

“You are so much more than I expected, Master Baggins,” Thorin said with a smile. 

 

“Please, call me Bilbo,” the hobbit said. 

 

“Of course, Bilbo,” Thorin agreed. “One more thing I learned.” 

 

“Oh?” 

 

“Dwalin was correct, you do have a mean swing.”

**Author's Note:**

> Like my fic? Wanna talk to me about it?? Find me on tumblr! 9cloud-nine9.tumblr.com


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